IoT Net Adria supports the transformation of HEP-Plin’s natural gas distribution and supply to customers by connecting their gas meters with Byte Lab retrofit smart devices
Osijek/Croatia – June 23, 2020 – HEP-Plin, part of the HEP Group, the national energy company in Croatia, is deploying Byte Lab retrofit smart devices powered by the Sigfox 0G network to digitize their gas meters. The deployment will be finalized by end of the year and marks one of the largest deployments of smart utilities solutions to date in Croatia.
Automated meter reading reduces cost of capturing data
Byte Lab BL-SIG-AMR1 is a battery powered smart gas meter retrofit which uses the Sigfox 0G network for wireless data transfer. With several tamper detection alarms and very long battery life, the BL-SIG-AMR1 is an ideal choice for installation on existing diaphragm gas meters that do not support remote readout. To support different brands of diaphragm gas meters commonly found on the European market like Elster, Itron or Metrix, the BL-SIG-AMR1 has a modular design with interchangeable adapters.
Strong ecosystem supports project delivery
Digitizing the gas project was very challenging, but it was achieved thanks to a strong partnership between Axis who was in charge of the integration services, Byte Lab who delivered the best in class retrofit device and Comping who provided the IoT platform for data analytics. The end to end solution works on the global 0G network provided by IoT Net Adria, the Croatian Sigfox Operator.
Damir Pećušak, CEO of HEP-Plin shared his thoughts on the new solution: “The partnership between Axis, Byte Lab and Comping in integration, hardware and software development, brought our idea to mass production very quickly. The Sigfox ecosystem players’ competence and dedication have proven to be the key success factors in developing this cost-efficient and reliable automated meter reader retrofit for gas meters and their go-to- market strategy was just amazing.”
Silviu Neghina, Territory Sales Manager at Sigfox, said: “I am very happy to see the hard work of our partners in Croatia delivering one of the best utilities project in Eastern Europe. We are on our way to connect the utilities meters in Croatia to our global 0G network deployed by IoT Net Adria. Once again, this project demonstrates the amazing potential of our technology to extract the data with the lowest total cost of ownership for our customers.”
“The HEP-Plin gas metering project represents a first example of the benefits that our 0G IoT connectivity brings to large scale deployments. The mix of smart devices with more than 10 years autonomy, our global IoT dedicated network and platforms capabilities allow utilities companies to connect their meters quickly, affordably, and securely anywhere in the country, while increasing efficiency, sustainability and customer satisfaction” said Ranko Rezek, CEO of IoT Net Adria.
Use cases
About HEP-Plin
HEP-Plin d.o.o., as a member of HEP Group, is for more than 40 years doing activity in natural gas distribution and supply. Accordingly to concessions contracts continuously developing its own distribution network, with more than 3.500 kilometers of its own distribution network and approximately 93.000 POD’s in 4 regional counties: Osječko – baranjska, Požeško-slavonska, Virovitičko-podravska and Vukovarsko-srijemska.
HEP-Plin is currently the second largest distributor of natural gas in Croatia with growth tendencies. Most recent acquisition after PLIN VTC in 2019., is PPD – Distribucija plina and PPD – Opskrba kućanstava.
HEP-Plin’s long-term strategy is to continue developing and building its own distribution network, implementing new technologies which in the future will lead to an even better market position, optimization in maintenance and a safe and secure natural gas supply.
About IoT Net Adria
IoT Net Adria is the exclusive Sigfox operator in Croatia that launches and sells low-energy broadband wireless technology (LPWA) connectivity for IoT and enables connected devices to send signals in a cost-effective, energy-efficient and secure way. In addition, IoT Net Adria wants to build a complete ecosystem of IoT solutions and services in Croatia that can be applied in many sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, health, transport and transportation, banking, insurance, environmental protection or innovative solutions for smart cities.
About Sigfox
Sigfox is the initiator of the 0G network and the world’s leading IoT (Internet of Things) service provider. Its global network allows billions of devices to connect to the Internet, in a straightforward way, while consuming as little energy as possible. Sigfox’s unique approach to device-to-cloud communications addresses the three greatest barriers to global IoT adoption: cost, energy consumption and global scalability.
Today, the network is available in 70+ countries, with 1 billion people covered. ISO 9001 certified and surrounded by a large ecosystem of partners and IoT key players, Sigfox empowers companies to move their business model towards more digital services, in key areas such as Asset Tracking and Supply Chain. Founded in 2010 by Ludovic Le Moan and Christophe Fourtet, the company is headquartered in France and has offices in Madrid, Munich, Boston, Dallas, San Jose, Dubai, Singapore, Sao Paulo and Tokyo.
About Byte Lab
Byte Lab is an independent engineering company focused on full service (turnkey) electronic product development, from idea to final product.
Byte Lab offers a complete solution, provides expertise and experience and offers support during the development of the final product body, such as design, support during certification and standardization, organization of production etc.
Each one of 200 projects Byte Lab commenced all over the EU and US market, was an opportunity to improve and perfect its solutions based on the needs of its clients and partners. The company’s main goal is to make its solutions as efficient as possible while continuously improving their quality. By doing that, Byte Lab became a recognized regional leader in providing IoT solutions ranging from security systems to smart city management.
